Directors

Robert J. Laikin serves as our Chairman of the Board. Mr. Laikin became a director and was appointed as our Lead Independent Director on May 27, 2014. Mr. Laikin held the Lead Independent Director role until the position was eliminated by our Board of Directors on June 20, 2016, and he at that time became the Chairman of the Board. Mr. Laikin founded BrightPoint, Inc., a wireless device distribution and logistics company (then known as Wholesale Cellular USA, Inc.), in 1989. He served as the...

John J. Dillon III became a director on June 20, 2016. Mr. Dillon has been with City Financial Corporation since March 17, 2008. Dillon served as the Executive Vice President of the insurance division and a member of the executive committee of City Financial Corporation until the agency was restructured in January of 2010 and it became City Securities Insurance, LLC. Mr. Dillon became the President of the agency and serves on its board of directors presently. Dillon also stayed on the executiv...

J. Taggart Birge became a director on the Washington Prime Group Inc. Board of Directors on May 18, 2017. Mr. Birge has twenty years of healthcare real estate development, leasing and sales experience. Mr. Birge currently serves as President and Principal of Cornerstone Companies, Inc. (“Cornerstone”), a healthcare real estate development, leasing, property management, consulting, and investment company, and has held this position since 2008.

Louis G. Conforti became a director of the Company on May 27, 2014 and served as our Interim Chief Executive Officer from June 20, 2016 until October 6, 2016 when he became our Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Conforti served as Principal/Executive Director of Colony Capital, Inc. as the Global Head of Strategy as well as focusing on publicly traded investing from April 2014 until June 20, 2016.

John F. Levy became a director on June 20, 2016. Mr. Levy currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer and principal consultant for Board Advisory, a consulting firm established to assist public companies, or companies aspiring to be public with corporate governance, corporate compliance, ethics, financial reporting and financial strategies. He has held this role since May 2005. Mr. Levy is a recognized corporate governance and financial reporting expert with over 30 years of progressive fi...

Ms. Soffer is a Principal for Turnberry Associates, which she joined in 1989, and where she oversees the company’s retail, hospitality and office divisions including Aventura Mall, a South Florida’ super-regional shopping center and one of the top grossing centers in the United States. Turnberry Associates holds a two-thirds interest in Aventura Mall, with the remaining one-third interest being held by an Simon Property Group, Inc. affiliate. Ms. Soffer’s experience includes her instrumental r...

Sheryl von Blucher became a director of the Company on August 30, 2016. Ms. von Blucher is a partner and managing director for JMJS Group, a private equity partnership, and has been affiliated with that company since 2013. From December 2017 to June 2018, Ms. von Blucher has served as Co-Chief Executive Officer of DTN LLC, a private company with headquarters in Minnesota, which is an independent source of insight and analysis, and decision-support solutions to customers worldwide in agricul...